4th June 2000 Leader Shirley McCauley
The walk covers the little known area of Wenningber between Hellifield and Otterburn. On the Wednesday before the walk, Hilary Baker and I did a preamble. Between then and Saturday it poured and poured.
Sunday dawned fair. We started up Haw lane and crested the hill to look down onto a lake! The two streams from Newton and Hellifield Moors had joined Newton Gill to obliterate the footpath.
However, we avoided the water by various diversions and took the right-hand path towards the Otterburn Road. We had to circumnavigate another lake near Snailshaw Farm. People commented on the gentle green drumlin nature of the surroundings, quite different to their expectations. We left the fields to walk a short distance on the Otterburn Road, before turning left into fields and headed for Goal Farm. The farm is home to the manufacturing of Sutcliffe's Agricultural Buildings but is nevertheless quite attractive and very well disguised as a work place.
We passed Wenningber Farm, reached Langber Lane without any further paddling and turned left towards Wenningber and Crook Beck plantations. As we climbed the hill we noticed an increasing number of oak and birch in the Crook Beck Plantation which is private and sported a stark Keep Out sign. In contrast on our left was the lovely Wenningber Plantation with its old trees which belongs to the Woodland Trust. It had a notice inviting all to come in and enjoy the woods. We reached the top of the hill, after stopping for a discussion on the origins and importance of Langber Lane. (Any further information would be very welcome) only to be confronted by yet another lake. Below us where the Crook Beck normally flows underneath the road was a huge expanse of water. We somehow negotiated this and turned left to join the top end of Haw Lane passing a delightful little wooded area with a stream tumbling through. We headed back down Haw Lane.
SMcC